"We're Scared": Panama Quake Cracks Homes and Halts Flights
The US Geological Survey's magnitude estimate was revised from 8.0 to 7.7. Flights at Tocumen airport were reported suspended, while an initial report said ships were still passing through the Panama Canal.
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A powerful earthquake damaged buildings and halted flights in Panama on Friday, October 9, 2026, while the Panama Canal remained open to ships, according to initial reports.
The US Geological Survey revised its magnitude estimate from 8.0 to 7.7, according to The National. Panama's geological institute gave a separate estimate of 7.2. The reports describe a developing emergency, with evacuations, school closures and warnings of possible tsunami waves beyond Panama's coast.
The immediate disruption has reached air travel and public transport, but the canal's reported continued operation preserves a major route for world shipping. The National reported that the waterway and ship passage through it were unaffected at the time of its report.
The BBC said neither the full extent of damage nor whether there had been casualties was clear. The reports also do not establish a current official damage total, confirmed tsunami impacts or post-quake inspection results from the canal authority.
"We're scared. It's just the two of us old folks here. The house has cracked, and we're afraid it could fall on us," a Herrera resident told Reuters by phone, according to The National.
